What to expect in Kentucky on Election Day?

WASHINGTON (AP) — Kentucky voters will weigh in on five dozen statewide races in the Nov. 5 general election; these will include the presidency, the U.S. House, the State Legislature, the State Supreme Court, and two constitutional amendments.

There are six candidates on the presidential ballot in Kentucky, including the Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican former President Donald Trump. Eight electoral votes are at stake. Kentucky voted for the candidate who won the White House for four decades, from 1964 to 2004, but has favored Republican candidates in the last six presidential elections.

Counties begin tallying absentee ballots the morning of Election Day, but no results will be released until the polls close. Due to the state being in the Eastern and Central time zones, the state has two poll closing times: 6 PM and 7 PM ET, although public polls close at 6 PM local time.

In Kentucky, many counties publish their vote returns in a single, complete report. The largest counties are Jefferson, Fayette and Kenton. The state has mandatory recount provisions, but they do not apply to presidential elections.

The Associated Press does not make predictions and will only declare a winner when it determines that there is no scenario that would allow the trailing candidates to close the gap. Unless a race is called, the AP will continue to cover any newsworthy developments, such as candidate concessions or victory declarations. In doing so, the AP will make it clear that it is not declaring a winner and explain why.

Here’s a look at what to expect in the 2024 elections in Kentucky:

Election Day

5 November.

Survey closing time

18:00 and 19:00 ET. Kentucky spans two time zones, so half the state will begin reporting results and voters in western counties will cast ballots by 6 p.m. CT (7 p.m. ET).

Presidential electoral votes

Awarded to 8 statewide winners.

Notable races and candidates

President: Harris (D) vs. Trump(R) vs. Shiva Ayyadurai (Independent) etc. Robert Kennedy Jr. (Independent) etc. Chase Oliver (Libertarian) vs. Jill Stein (Green).

Ballot measures: Amendment 1 (requires citizenship to vote) and Amendment 2 (allows government funding for non-public education).

Other interesting breeds

U.S. House, State Senate, State Assembly, and State Supreme Court.

Past presidential results

2020: Trump (R) 62%, Biden (D) 36%, AP race call: Tuesday, November 3, 2020, 7:00 pm ET.

Voter registration and participation

Number of registered voters: 3,548,136 (as of October 11, 2024). About 43% are Democrats, 47% are Republicans and 5% are other.

Voter turnout in the 2020 presidential election: 60% of registered voters.

Voting before Election Day

Votes cast before Election Day 2020: approximately 77% of total votes.

Votes cast before Election Day 2022: approximately 23% of total votes.

Votes cast ahead of Election Day 2024: See AP Pre-Vot tracker.

How long does vote counting take?

First votes reported, November 3, 2020: 6:16 PM ET.

By midnight ET: Approximately 98% of total votes cast have been reported.

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Associated Press writers Rebecca Reynolds and Maya Sweedler contributed to this report.

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Read more about how US elections work Explaining the 2024 ElectionA series from The Associated Press that aims to help make sense of American democracy. The AP receives support from several private foundations to improve its explanatory coverage of elections and democracy. See more about the EP’s democracy initiative Here. AP is solely responsible for all content.